This particular car was born the same month I received my driver’s license. It’s on the (long) short list of cars that I would have liked to have seen in my driveway with a bow on it when I returned from the Department of Motor Vehicles that magical day in October of 1985. Having multiple children of my own now, I understand why neither it nor any other denizen of that list was there. Seeing this car now in its present state, a little bit of me died inside. However, that’s a lot less than what died on this car, both inside and out.
Here’s what it probably looked like in October of 1985. Well, alright, it was probably all black instead of all white, but this white picture shows it off better. Had I had my druthers I think I would have chosen red, hence my decision to lead with the red fender at the top.
The Starion is one of those rare-ish cars that wasn’t at all bad originally but then morphed its body into something slightly different and mo’ betta. Originally debuting in 1982, it looked more or less like a somewhat more angular version of a Porsche 924, but with turbo power from its big four-cylinder to compete against its Japanese competition; namely the 300ZX, Supra, and RX-7. Right around the same time, the Porsche 924 begat the Porsche 944 by boxing its fenders amongst other things to spruce it up, and Mitsubishi probably said “D’oh!” and realized they left a lot of performance looks on the table. So for 1986 they started offering this ESI-R version, with more power and more fender to go with it.
I’m a huge fan of many 1980s shapes, and an enormous fan of boxed fenders. Audi Quattro, Porsche 944, BMW E30 M3, Lancia Delta Integrale, Subaru WRX (far later) – all are among my favorite car shapes. If you can box the fenders I’m likely a fan, but curiously not in the case of the ’79-’86 Mercury Capri. Hmm. Perhaps I’m a snob. Oh well. Or maybe it’s because it wasn’t a modified. more powerful version of a more basic car?
Anyway, this Starion looks like it’s wearing some sort of automotive geisha shoes due to the space savers it was dragged in on. When this was in fine fettle it would have worn a fat set of deep-dished alloys that certainly looked the business: 16-inchers measuring 7″ wide at the front and 8″ at the rear, fitted with 205/55-16 and 225/50-16 tires, respectively. I didn’t realize that was the rear size until researching; it’s the same size wheel and tire as on all four corners of my old ’93 Audi S4—a size that was not super common in 1993.
This one’s obviously been bitsa’d a bit in someone’s back yard. It perhaps took a hit to its right front corner at one time and good job to the erstwhile owner for finding pieces to fit, as Starions aren’t exactly common in junkyards anymore. Without the front bumper we can also see the large intercooler. I’m not sure if it’s the stock one, but these did have one, all the better to cool the intake charge in the quest for more power.
While the hood on this one didn’t open, a discreet upskirt pic shows a big void. The beast has had its heart surgically (or not so surgically) removed.
But fear not! Uncle Google comes to the rescue with a picture of the powerplant, which would have been a 2.6-liter inline-4 featuring a Mitsubishi (convenient!) turbocharger, and in 1986 pumping out a healthy 176 hp at 5,000 rpm and 223 lb·ft at 2,500 rpm. Only available at first with a 5-speed manual transmission, this apparently let the 3,050-lb boxed wonder achieve 60 mph in 8 seconds. Which sounds a little underwhelming in 2023; your mom’s Camry (with the four, not even the six) will beat that. 1986 was a long time ago, and 8 seconds was a good number.
And there was turbo whine! That turbo was also now water-cooled, supplanting the earlier oil-cooled versions. Progress and all that. The stickers were still large in 1986, although here limited to just a large rear window graphic. Still, when someone passed your mom in her 1986 Camry (yeah, that’s right, it wasn’t fast back then), she’d know it was turbo-power that took her from the line. If she cared.
Many of these did sport a massive set of rear louvers on the back window which only enhanced the spice. You’ll have to imagine the very large all-red tail lights that wrapped into the rear fenders as well and left just enough space for a license plate between them, looking like rectangular afterburners as you’d pull away on the on-ramp to the 405 in Van Nuys on your way to a late night cruise down Ventura Boulevard. Also missing here (sheesh) is the three-piece wraparound bladed spoiler that went almost all the way to the rear edge of the doors.
Popping the large hatch reveals what people mean when they say “It’s all there, just requires some reassembly and a little TLC” in their Craigslist ad. This may be the first red interior ever in a junkyard that wasn’t in pristine showroom condition, at least if you follow this little series. Maybe it’ll be better around the front; let’s go see.
I like to think I’m an optimist (although I’m probably not really), but hey, I see the important bits! There’s a driver’s seat and a steering wheel. And a handbrake sticking straight up just like Pentti Airikkila would have it when sliding the rear of his Starion rally car around a difficult corner on the Swedish Rally. Good thing there’s a fresh set of brake discs right over near the passenger area, just waiting to be installed.
This is why I couldn’t open the hood. I dug around through the wiring but the release just was not there. I’m sure it’s neatly tucked away in the back somewhere though. That seat, though, with the gathered leather (as if cows weren’t an endangered species), the movable thigh bolster, and the little stitched piece around the neck area; it’s almost better than that of the Toyota Supra, which I’ll admit always wins due to the little rubber ball bolster-inflater-on-a-stalk-thingy it had.
Even the sound deadening is there for someone who wants to restore it. One day. When they have more time. It almost seems there are more interior pieces than the car had when they were all in place. Spares!?
From this angle, without the lights in place, it actually looks remarkably like an ’82 -’85 Celica or Supra. But once you round the very angular corner…
…more boxed fender magic! That never gets old for me. Some like their brougham heraldic crests, some like their embroidered leather, some like their wire-wheel hubcaps, and that’s all fine. But for me, like I said, it’s boxed fenders (except the Mercury Capri, still don’t know why).
October of 1985, one of the first wide-body Starions in the United States. My body started getting a little wider around that time too, come to think of it. See, it was meant to be! However it was not really; I never did get one, although it’s still on the very long short list of cars I’d love to own. Preferably completely assembled, although I realize perhaps I need to think a little more out-of-the-box, as these aren’t getting any more plentiful as the years pass by.
This one’s Banzai-ing days are surely over, yet I’m glad we were able to celebrate it and give it its final fifteen or so. A noble warrior, this one, although ingloriously parked in the domestic section—likely due to having also been sold under the Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth badges! That alone is probably enough for this one to commit seppuku, thus perhaps explaining the missing engine and other internal bits.
Related Reading:
1983 Mitsubishi Starion—Or Is It Stallion? Did I Finally Solve the Mystery of its Name?
Wow. What a great find, and additional biographical info. Styling is a bit gimmicky in a uniquely ’80s way, but I really liked how the Starion appeared to elevate basic RX-7 styling. Which I started to find bland, by 1981, or so. And didn’t love the 1986 restyle. The sheet metal chiselling above the wheelwells, really lent a masculine, flared-fendered IMSA competitor, look to these. Clever and attractive.
What a Chevrolet Monza Mirage may have looked like, if they lasted into the mid ’80s. Those five spoke wheels looked awesome in ’86. And still look very attractive, and modern, today. Really enjoyed this, thanks!
I found the depth of these wheels, a large part of their visual appeal. Added to their muscular ‘competition’ appearance. A rare hybrid Japanese/American sports/pony car look, that more car makers should have pursued, as it worked well here. 1982 Supra also achieved it. Design team likely had a blast. Styling is almost over-the-top. What a ’80s Charger (or Barracuda) should have looked more like. With a few legacy, and US muscle car styling cues, if Chrysler had their act more together then.
Nose looks very Japanese. A four headlight layout, like the Izuzu Impulse, would have lent more of an American pony car appearance.
Headlight layout like this, would have worked wonderfully on the Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R. More American, in style. While uniquely, an ’80 look of its own.
I guess it would have been exactly what the original Impulse did back in 1986 itself. The covers popped up just a little bit. One of my favorite bits of the original Impulse as well as the newer one you pictured, curiously they changed the hood slightly later in the ’80s to remove that feature on the first one.
What a crazy car for 1986, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one so it’s been a long while.
Great find, hopefully it will donate those rust free body parts to someone else’s Starion project.
One sure was spoilt for choice in 1986 if looking for a performance 2+2 – this, the new Supra, 300ZX, new RX7, all with or without turbos, decent Mustang GT, IROC-Z, Porsche 944 or 944Turbo, BMW M3, and several more…This one seems to me to be the rarest but without a particular reason for that.
One thing is for sure. That junkyard ain’t in the salt belt.
No sir it is not! Denver, Colorado in this case.
I also loved these cars, and also boxed fenders. The relative rarity of Mitsubishis compared to other imports made them seem just that more exotic. Mitsu got the styling exactly right with these turbos. I even remember my brother, who is about your age, commenting at the time that they seemed like some sort of return to a muscle car. I see it. An excellent find.
Thanks, yes they were surely less common than the big T, N, and H, but had some interesting stuff. As few Starions as they seem to still be, what you really never see anymore at all are the Cordia and Tredia, the slightly smaller hatchback and sedan…First generation Monteros and even Mighty Maxes are still far more common.
Very similar approach as the Ford TC: big four with turbo, and an intercooler added a couple of years later to up the boost. The big difference was that the Mitsu 2.6 had balance shafts; the Ford 2.3 didn’t.
I think Seppuku was the Plymouth model… or at least that’s what we referred to the Plymouth Sapporo as when we were kids.
I was always a little leery of Mitsubishi stuff, though I liked a lot about many of their offerings. I came of age in the era where there was seemingly at least one Mitsubishi V6 powered first gen Mopar minivan smoking up every intersection, and then something in the neighbor’s Astron powered 1986 Voyager cut loose and the engine ground itself to bits. A girlfriend was looking at a 3000GT, but the greasy tailpipes gave me me pause… often just a valve seal job, but it wasn’t playing well with the seller’s claim that there was absolutely nothing at all wrong with the car.
But still… that big Mitsu four sure ran nicely when all was right, and I’m quite impressed with the turbo’s horsepower and torque figures. Hmmm…
Haha, it was actually named the Conquest in all three corners of the Chry/Ply/Dodge showroom…I guess it was celebrating the conquest of a foreign car buyer that bought a domestic car. That was actually a foreign car. Now my head hurts.
I never really understood how you can have a company as large as Chrysler, manage to take over AMC, yet not have the budget or werewithal to make your own V6 to the point that you have to buy Japanese ones. The mind, it boggles it.
Like the resprayed ’74 Dodge Charger posted here in the past two weeks, the single red fender previews how dramatically impactful, this Starion in bright red would have appeared.
It’s like when Dr. Bruce Banner starts to get just a little irritated and the first seams start to pop and then you see the green bicep bulge out and then it just goes on from there…! The red they used on these cars was quite a bright red, it definitely “popped”.
Great analogy!
I’ll take mine in monochromatic white please. But here’s an ’88 Conquest TSi sporting the red, which no doubt works well on these cars. Personally, I always preferred the little nuances of the Chrysler over the Mitsubishi. And those subtle changes, especially the monochome grille, were enough to also look less like the Toyota. What a beauty!
Some of these had oddly Brougham-y interiors for this sort of car:
Love it! Almost a parody of 1970s American personal luxury interiors, with the added benefit of thigh and lumbar bolstering. Best of both worlds!
Honestly how can one not love that now that even the best seats in cars today are just slippery cold or hot neutral toned pleather? Velour is not only comfy it grips!
I think to a degree these types of premium sport coupes were wooing the traditional PLC buyer, the original Supra, heck the 1980 200sx in coupe form even sported a very baskethandle Tbird like roofline
I love velour too. Looks great, feels great, doesn’t get hot and clammy (or cold and unyielding) like leather, real or fake. I think it this sort of velour were still an available in new cars (rather than a rough declasse cloth), cloth seats would be in much higher demand.
Worth noting that in Japan, velour seats are still widely available and much more popular than leather.
I love these looks back at cars that I refused to allow onto my radar when they were new. It seems like a hundred years ago now, when I (for a short while) became a European car snob when it came to performance imports, while refusing to look seriously at anything Japanese. My conversion to Asian cars did not come until a bit later, and included a great experience with a Mitsubishi – though an 83 Colt was pretty much the opposite of what this car was.
Your eloquent defense of boxed fenders has me wondering just what automotive styling feature winds me over every time. It might be hidden headlights.
As you mentioned on the rebadging, I remember being very confused as a kid by the Conquest versions sporting various “Imported for…” badges.
A good friend of mine had one of these… very much like the white one, but in Darth Vader black. It really was an awesome car in the late 80’s… I remember a few times traveling down the Garden State parkway very late at night, which turned into a winding road at 130 mph in this thing… both of us listening for the warning beeps from the radar detector
They’re one of those cars that definitely suit some colours better than others. I’d vote for red. 🙂
Car magazine did a comparative test between the Station and 924 and gave it a close second if memory recalls.
They became quite popular in the UK and fell within my budget second hand. But rumours of engine and turbo problems emerged and in the pre-internet age finding out the truth of these issues was difficult. I gave it a steer and haven’t seen one in 20 odd years.